All the gear - No Idea

[skrx]

I signal almost all right turns. The exceptions are if I'm sure there's no one around (e.g. zig-zagging through the maze of backstreets I live near) or if I really need to keep both hands on the handlebars -- for instance, if the road surface is rough. In both cases I'll be in primary position.

I signal many left turns, especially if it means someone can avoid waiting for me to go past, but as Cyclecraft says, most left-signals are courtesy while most right-signals are for safety.

 

[jay clock]

Learner driver's have it for obvious reasons, but when they first pass and go on their own, they have to have a P plate

They don't "have to have". The P plate is optional

 

[jonny jeez]

For what its worth, I think that a lot of people who started out commuting as students (or children) never end up as lycra-clad-shiny-kit-monkeys, whereas many people who come to commuting later go out and get what they think is the best kit they can. Its not by any means universally true, but I think it explains why you see plenty of well kitted out numpties.

True, also more so for the motorcycling community, older more affluent new riders can buy all the best kit, then wrap it around a tree on Sunday (as they often do)>

I personally battled with this ethic myself when starting to ride to work and was so tempted to buy a shiny new bike...but...I stuck with Chitty all the way...and I'm glad i did, bless her.

Now motorbikes,..... don't get me started

Bike= low tech ie use your hands...

What's the problem with signalling your intent to other road users?
Mirror, signal, manoeuvre for vehicles .... without mirrors you look, signal and manoeuvre... basic road sense and good manners. Anyone who's arrogant enough not to bother provides another excuse for other road users to treat them with disdain..

+1, don't see the issue, I signal every time unless its really dangerous to do so...totally empty road..., or if I want to keep a car back behind me at a left turn

A bit flash for my taste.

It's the new Bright-ling!!

(only took me 17 hours to come up with that one!!)

 

[Norm]

It's the new Bright-ling!!

(only took me 17 hours to come up with that one!!)

Oh good grief.

 

[BentMikey]

Good point...although the reasons to indicate to them are less likely simply because a bike and a car co-exist on the road, a ped doesnt.
That said, if circumstances dictated a signal of my intentions to a ped helped him to make his way without effecting me, i would do him the honour.

*cough* Wrong. Public highway innit.

 

[swee'pea99]

<quote>What's the problem with signalling your intent to other road users?</quote>
I don't think anyone's suggesting there is one. It seems to me there are four related points here:

1) Sometimes there simply are no other road users (incl peds) so signalling is pointless
2) Quite often the best 'signalling' is done not using hand signals as per the Highway Code but by things like road positioning
3) There are occasions where signalling may be positively dangerous - two very close left turns, eg, as raised in an earlier post
4) There is, in cycling, a greater-than-usual trade-off between signalling and safety, simply because signalling means sacrificing one hand on the handlebars/brakes.

As I said earlier, I signal when it's necessary - and the safest option, to all concerned, all things considered.

 

[rh100]

They don't "have to have". The P plate is optional

fair point

 

[PpPete]

Did he look behind him before turning?

Nope... just went from primary right across the road, never looked back.
I take the point about certain occasions for not signalling, but this was an occasion where IMHO signalling was appropriate:

Right turn
Good road surface
Other road users in vicinity
Signal would have been visible to other road users and unequivocal in meaning.

 

[BentMikey]

The no looking is a far worse moment of stupidity IMO. Lots and lots of cyclists seem to rely on hearing and not look behind to negotiate their manouvres.

 

[gbb]

*cough* Wrong. Public highway innit.

Of course...but a pedestrian who puts himself on the road is aware he is not the primary user, therefore puts himself last on the list, so's to speak.
Good job an'all...it'd be bedlam if peds considered they had equal rights on a busy road

 

[gbb]

Nope... just went from primary right across the road, never looked back.
I take the point about certain occasions for not signalling, but this was an occasion where IMHO signalling was appropriate:

Right turn
Good road surface
Other road users in vicinity
Signal would have been visible to other road users and unequivocal in meaning.

In that case pete, i'd agree with you. It's always difficult to 'see' the incident as you saw it. The trouble here, and i've tripped myself up sometimes, is that readers dont see it as you did, then apparently go off at a tangent.
As i said, i rarely use signals, but if i'm turning right with a car coming up behind...a look over the shoulder...assess whether i will make the move safely with or without a signal....and make manoever, with or without signal, depending if i deem it neccessary or prudent.

 

[gbb]

The no looking is a far worse moment of stupidity IMO. Lots and lots of cyclists seem to rely on hearing and not look behind to negotiate their manouvres.

Agreed, i see it myself sometimes. Near suicidal

 

[Campfire]

One of the first things my advanced driving tutor did was to untrain me to always signal. There are 3 main reasons for this:
1) if you're signalling to no one you've just wasted effort
2) you end up being more aware of road users around you because you need to work out if you should signal or not
3) prevents over use of signalling leading to confusing signalling

So the question is was there anyone around who needed to know what he was going to do?

Ah, you did it too!!! Do you try to apply the IAM rules to the bike too? One of the things I really hate is people who are still signalling right at a R/A when they are actually turning into the exit!

 

[shunter]

Ah, you did it too!!! Do you try to apply the IAM rules to the bike too? One of the things I really hate is people who are still signalling right at a R/A when they are actually turning into the exit!

The one that scares me is when you are going straight through a roundabout on the inside lane. You are just about to exit and you do a safety check on the vehicle to your left to find out they are indicating right.

I will also try more to untrain myself from signaling all the time as GrasB mentioned - didn't realise that other people do the same thing, maybe because of the large majority who don't signal except on a rare occasion. My previously stated logic for doing so doesn't particularly hold up considering my approach is different when I am cycling. I suppose this proves forums do make you reconsider your actions

 

[XmisterIS]

I've never seen them on the road but...

I've never seen the watch thing, but I have had a look at these indicator things.

The trouble is, they don't work like motorbike indicators - you have to take your hand off the handlebars and flick the switch on the top of the unit every time you want to indicate, then again when you want to switch the indicator off.

A motorbike indicator switch looks like this (where it says "off" with two arrows to left and right):

and you flick it on/off with your thumb. That means you indicate without taking your hands off the bars (the left hand operates the clutch on a motorbike - you can indicate while slipping the clutch, for example).